Nation
PIN, MRCG, journalists urge Sierra Leone to protect press freedom, digital rights
Pan-African non-profit Paradigm Initiative (PIN), in partnership with the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) and 36 media professionals across Sierra Leone, has issued a joint communiqué urging the government to uphold press freedom, digital rights, and freedom of expression in the country’s rapidly evolving digital space.
The statement followed a Digital Rights Academy hosted by PIN in Freetown on June 23, where participants stressed the urgent need for legal and policy reforms to safeguard media workers both online and offline, amid growing threats of harassment, censorship, and surveillance.
The group highlighted the increasing challenges facing journalists—particularly women—including online harassment, lack of data protection, and restrictive laws that threaten freedom of expression under the guise of cybersecurity or misinformation control. They also raised concern about insufficient safeguards in content regulation and digital moderation frameworks.
While commending efforts to expand access to information and promote digital growth, the signatories warned against rollbacks through vaguely defined laws or unchecked surveillance practices.
Key recommendations included:
Upholding press freedom in both physical and digital spaces in line with human rights standards;
Enforcing the proactive release of public information under the Right to Access Information Act (2013);
Enacting a data protection law aligned with the African Union’s Malabo Convention, with protections for journalists;
Amending restrictive legislation, particularly Section 44 of the Cybersecurity and Crime Act (2021), and rejecting the pending Counter Terrorism Bill (2024);
Including media and civil society voices in digital policy consultations;
Investigating attacks on journalists and protecting them from surveillance and harassment;
Supporting digital security training and access to encrypted communication tools;
Ensuring uninterrupted internet and social media access during elections and protests.
The coalition reaffirmed its commitment to ethical, independent journalism and called on the government to collaborate with the media and civil society in creating a safe and rights-respecting digital environment.
